The Mistress of the Garden Gate
by claraowl
Summary: Rima is in a tranquil garden... what could go wrong? Nagi is in Paris... who called him after dance classes, sobbing? Who is the Mistress of the Garden Gate? Rating for safety.


**Claraowl: Hello once more and welcom to my 3****rd**_**Shugo Chara!**_** fan fiction! **

**Ikuto: *reads* This isn't amuto….**

**Amu: She's allowed to write things other than amuto! **

**Rima: *reads* Who are you and what are you doing here?**

**Nagihiko: Do we get to dance in this one?**

**Claraowl: Will someone just do the disclaimer?**

**Amu: *hand over Ikuto's mouth* Claraowl does not own **_**Shugo Chara! **_**or anything concerned with it!**

**Ikuto: *licks Amu's hand* **

**Amu: Kyaaa!**

**Claraowl: On with the show!**

The night was still and cool; a light breeze danced among the trees in the garden, causing the branches to sway slightly. Blossoms showered down upon the gravel walkway and fluttered across the grass, reminding Rima, sitting on the old oak bench, of butterflies. She leaned back against the wood of the bench and sighed. All was quiet and calm.

Suddenly, a scream tore through air. She jumped up and gazed about, attempting to locate where it had come from. Upon hearing a second scream, she determined the direction from which it had come; she ran down the path as fast as her tiny feet could carry her. She rounded a corner and found herself at the entrance of a maze.

A third scream came, louder and more desperate than the others. Rima, running down one of the paths, thought that the voice was somehow familiar… as if she knew the voice well. However, she was unable to place it as she hit a dead end. She retraced her steps, a feeling of great foreboding growing in the pit of her stomach. The sides of the maze towered above her.

A fourth scream reached her ears, guiding her down a twisting, turning path. Rima bit her lip and hurried forward. Now was her chance to go out into the world and do something; she would not turn back, not hide inside any longer. She would find the being emitting the screams and attempt to help in any way she could.

As the fifth scream ripped the air, Rima spotted a piece of paper lying on the ground, addressed to her. She picked it up and opened it as she ran towards the screams.

_Rima,_ it began.

_Do you know your own heart? _

Rima glanced around, wondering where Kusukusu was; had she not come with her to the garden?

_Who do you consider dearest? _

Rima bit her lip once more. She shook the question off, and, looking up, found herself at a fork in the maze. No screams were to be heard.

_You know the answer in your heart, Rima - merely consider it an option in your mind and your path will be made clear. _

Rima blinked. She murmured, "The one I consider dearest? What does that have to do with this?"

The letter was signed, _Best Wishes from the Mistress of the Garden Gate._

Rima allowed her mind to clear. A face surfaced; she twitched at the image. There was a large crashing sound to her right; turning, she saw that a hole had formed in the side of the maze wall. She forced her way through and was met with a horrible scene.

The sixth scream that rent the air mingled with her own as the knife plunged.

Rima sat up in bed, screaming. Her face was wet with tears as she looked around her; she realized that she was in her own bedroom. It had all been a dream, just a dream. She glanced over at her bedside table and saw that Kusukusu was fast asleep in her egg; her tiny snores echoed through the room. Rima felt her heartbeat return to normal. She then went over the events of her dream, tears still running down her face.

First, she had been in a garden, with everything being quite peaceful, a breeze in the air.

Second, there had been a scream and she had jumped up to go investigate.

Third, there had been a maze; she had entered, following the scream.

Fourth, she had hit a dead end after realizing that the voice was familiar.

Fifth, she had retraced her steps and found the letter from the Mistress of the Garden Gate; she then hit the fork.

Sixth, a certain face had burst into her mind, and the wall beside her had opened.

Seventh, her scream had mingled the screamer's as she watched the knife be thrown.

Eighth, she had woken up to find herself in tears.

Nagihiko was relaxing after a long day of dance classes in Paris when his phone rang. "Bonjour?" he answered.

All he could hear on the other end was sobbing.

Checking the number, he saw that it was someone from his home country. He answered again in his native tongue. "Hello?"

"N-N-N-Nagi," he heard someone gasp between sobs.

"Rima-chan?" he questioned, confused. Why was she calling him? It must be three in the morning in Tokyo. "What's going on? What happened?"

"A-are you okay?" she gulped, her sobbing ceasing rather abruptly.

"Yeah… shouldn't I be the one asking you, that? Why were you crying?"

Rima was silent for a moment. "I'm fine," she said in her blunt manner, "I just needed to check."

"Why did you need to check that I was alright?"

"Do me a favor and don't go near any gardens with mazes."

"What?" Nagihiko asked, confused.

"I said -" Rima began.

"I know what you said," interrupted Nagihiko, "but why shouldn't I?"

Rima was silent.

"Did something happen, Rima-chan?" asked a worried Nagihiko. "Isn't it three in the morning over there?"

"So what if it is?"

"Then something is probably wrong. You don't strike me as the type to call up a person who's abroad in the wee hours."

"Fine, I'll tell you - but if you laugh, I'll hang up and never answer again."

"I won't laugh," Nagihiko promised.

Rima proceeded to tell about her nightmare. "… and when I got through the wall, there was a woman standing over the screamer… and she threw the knife at his heart - your heart." Rima swallowed slightly, then finished in a high-pitched voice, "That's when I woke up. Go on; laugh at me for calling you over a nightmare. Laugh."

"I'm not laughing, Rima-chan," Nagihiko stated. "In fact, I'm rather touched that you called me, or even had reason to do so."

Rima was silent for a few moments. "Do you ever have nightmares, Nagihiko-kun?"

"Frequently, Rima-chan," Nagihiko said. "Want to know something weird?"

"What?"

"The Mistress of the Garden Gate has turned up in some of my dreams, too."

Rima mulled this over in her mind. While thinking, she said, "Have you ever seen her?"

"Several times," Nagihiko affirmed. "She's a tall, pale woman, with curly black hair reaching about halfway down her back."

Rima gasped. "That was the woman with the knife!"

There was silence on both ends of the line for a few moments.

"Rima-chan -" began Nagihiko.

"Rima. Just Rima," Rima whispered.

"Thanks, Rima," Nagihiko grinned into the phone, "you can call me Nagi if you like. After all, you did when you first called."

"You were saying, cross-dresser?" Rima asked coldly, not taking kindly to the light teasing.

"Did you see the knife hit?" Nagihiko asked, returning to a serious tone.

"No," Rima replied, eyes widening, "I just saw it get thrown."

"Well," said Nagihiko, "it might interest you to know that I had a dream involving a maze, a knife, the Mistress of the Garden Gate, and you last night."

"What?"

Nagihiko explained, "I dreamt that I was in the maze with her and she asked me some questions. She then played a recording of me screaming in my sleep - from my nightmares - and had me lie on the ground. The dream basically fit in with yours; it was just the other side of the story. At the point where you burst through, she threw the knife at me. That's when you woke up, right?"

Rima nodded, then realized that she was talking to him on the phone. "Yes."

"Well, my dream went a bit further than that."

"It did? How so?"

"A moment before the knife hit me, you managed to knock it out of the way. The Mistress of the Garden Gate then winked at me and vanished. By that time, it was very dark; however, we managed to make our way out of the maze and into that garden you told me about. You led me to the bench and started to ask me something."

"What did I ask?"

"I don't know - that's when my alarm went off," Nagihiko sighed.

Rima abruptly changed the subject. "When are you coming back to Japan, Nagi?"

Nagihiko, smiling at the use of the nickname, replied, "I'll be back in time for spring break."

Rima's eyes widened on the other end of the phone. "That's in a week!"

"I know," Nagihiko said. "Rhythm and Temari will be pretty happy to be back, too."

"You're happy, then?"

"Well," Nagihiko began.

"What?"

"I am, but I'd be extra-happy if you promised me something, Rima," Nagihiko said, hiding his nervousness.

On the other side of the phone, Rima felt her heartbeat speed up again. "What?"

"Grab a parfait with me, won't you?"

"Fine," Rima conceded, "but you will tell no one about my dream!"

"Sounds like a deal, Rima."

"Sleep well, Nagi," Rima yawned, "and good night."

"Goodnight, Rima," Nagihiko grinned. "Feel free to call me if you have any more nightmares, alright?"

"Same goes for you, mister cross-dresser."

"Goodnight," they chorused.

They both shut their phones and put them away.

Rima crawled back underneath her covers; Nagihiko stretched out on his bed; and as they each drifted off, a whisper was heard, "Parfaits for two, coming up."

The tall, pale, dark-haired figure smiled at each of them and left, for she had many more dreams to attend to that night.

*End*

**Claraowl: Well… let me know what you think!**

**Mistress of the Garden Gate: Feel free to point out any and all mistakes and/or ask any questions. **

**Nagihiko: Requests might also be accepted.**

**Rima: Don't tell them that yet - she hasn't decided!**

**[The two bicker.]**

**Claraowl: Anyway, *ignoring the bickering lovebirds* please review! :D Grinning bats to all who do! **


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